Birthday Surprise!
by jacketandboots
Summary: Jane is brooding in his motel room thinking about his family when a sudden phone call from Lisbon frightens him. He doesn't know he is about to get a big surprise. One-shot.


**A/N: I know it's been a week I haven't uploaded Settling in yet. But just the other day I watched Green Light and wondered how the CBI team would have celebrated Jane's birthday. I hope you guys enjoy this one-shot. Happy New Year everyone.**

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Jane was lying down in his motel room. It was almost midnight. There was nothing interesting on the television so he let his mind wander off in thoughts of his wife and daughter. In a few minutes it would be his birthday. But since the death of his family, he had stopped acknowledging it. From his eighteenth birthday, every year he and Angela would cut a funnel cake at midnight and she would give him a birthday kiss. Even after leaving the carny they always managed to find a funnel cake. After Charlotte was a bit older she would run to her daddy first thing in the morning and give him a sloppy kiss to wish him while Angela would look at both of them with glassy eyes. Jane would be out for so many days, even weeks but he would always make sure he stayed home for the special days. Now he always thought about what kind of a failure he was that he couldn't find the killer even after all these years.

He was so lost in thoughts that he didn't hear his cell phone ringing. When it rang the second time he picked up the call without even looking at the name. Who else would call him at this time?

"Yes Lisbon?"

"Jane?" Her tone was worried.

He sat up in an instant. "Lisbon, what's wrong?"

But she didn't say anything further. After a moment she just whispered, "Can you please get here soon?"

Jane was already picking his keys. He didn't bother to lock his motel room but after a second turned back and hastily locked it. "I'm on my way, Teresa. I'll be there in ten." He hanged up.

"That was… great." A voice behind Lisbon said it with a grin. Lisbon turned to the voice and smiled triumphantly.

* * *

Jane drove like a madman. He was thankful no patrol car followed him for breaking traffic. He could care less but it was good for the lack of nuisance. He almost took the car door with him and knocked loudly on Lisbon's door.

"Lisbon?"

No response.

"Lisbon? Teresa? Open up!"

He counted to five and took his lockpick set out of his inner jacket pocket. He unlocked the door with shaking hands and swirled it open. The living room was dark and eerily silent. He took deep breaths before searching for the light switch when suddenly…

"Surprise!"

He almost jumped and was about to fall down in shock when Rigsby suddenly appeared on his side and balanced his stance. He took a breath and looked all over the living room. Lisbon, Van Pelt, and Cho were standing in the centre of the room around Lisbon's dining table with big smiles. _Cho and a big smile?_ There was a small round white cake with 'Happy Birthday Jane' written on it. He took a deep breath and glanced at his wrist watch. It was midnight. It was his birthday. He looked at everyone and then pointedly at Lisbon. "What the hell is this?"

Everyone's smile faded and Lisbon thought she made a terrible mistake by planning all this. She tried to convince him, "It's your birthday Jane. I wanted… we wanted to do something special for you." She waved her hand to everyone around them.

"You almost gave me a heart attack woman! Do you even know how worried I was?" Jane almost shouted at her.

She shrugged, "There was no other way to bring you here Jane. I know how much you are against all the celebration. But we wanted this day to be good for you. And it's the weekend. Come on Jane, we know you are not mad."

That was true. He wasn't mad at them for doing all this. He was incredibly touched. Although he was mad at himself for underestimating the petite brunette standing in front of him. He looked behind her at the table and then he noticed the table was filled with take-out containers and pizza boxes. This was a feast. He realized Lisbon was actually worried now. He wanted to punish her a bit but looking at all this was just so overwhelming. Lisbon was about to ask him something when Jane suddenly enveloped her in a bear hug.

"Ofcourse I'm not mad! This is… this is… great!" He was afraid he'll actually cry. The team actually cared for him. They planned all this. They took efforts to bring a smile on his face. And he was happy. He didn't even have to try. He was so overwhelmed. Even if his wife and daughter weren't there, he had this family. He had Lisbon.

Lisbon laughed while rubbing her hand on his back and asked him, "So let's begin this shall we?"

Jane pulled back and nodded, his eyes glassy. Lisbon held his hand and took him to the table. Rigsby followed from behind, Cho and Van Pelt already at the sides of the table. He blew the single candle which was placed on the cake. Van Pelt called out, "Make a wish!" Jane wanted to roll his eyes but all this was just so sweet he couldn't deny her by being rude. So he closed his eyes and pretended. If he believed in these things, he would wish for Lisbon to be in his life always. _Someday he would._

He cut the cake and fed a small bite to Lisbon. Lisbon did the same. He tasted the cake and knew it was vanilla. How did she know he liked this cake? Who was the mentalist here? He fed everyone small pieces and Van Pelt took the job of cutting the cake into equal pieces. Rigsby was expectantly looking at the food on the table but Lisbon interrupted, "Presents first, food later."

Jane cut in, "You guys, you didn't have to…"

Van Pelt chimed, "Don't be silly Jane. You're family."

He nodded gratefully. If this continued, he would really cry. "Thank you so much guys. I appreciate this, I really do."

Each of them went to collect their presents while Jane just stood there looking around himself. When he was feeling guilty for his family's death, these wonderful people were planning something just to make him happy. He would have to ask Lisbon sometime about how she knew his real birth date. His file had the wrong one. Maybe she called Pete.

They returned to the table. Jane was already on the head chair. Lisbon sat to his next on the right with Cho by her side while Van Pelt sat on her left with Rigsby at her side. Rigsby handed his present first. Jane was about to guess when Lisbon stopped him, "No guessing games, Jane. Just open them."

He grinned and opened it. It was a discount voucher at a shop which designed suits. Jane nodded approvingly and looked at Rigsby, "This is great! I'll visit there next time I want a suit. Thank you." Rigsby smiled in return. Van Pelt handed hers next. Jane opened it and smiled lovingly at the photo frame. It was a picture taken of all of them during Lisbon's birthday celebration at the bullpen. He finally had a photograph of his current family to keep it besides the photograph of his wife and daughter. "Thank you Grace… I finally have a photo of all of us." Van Pelt grinned. Then Cho gave his present. It was a bottle of Jack Daniels and Lisbon looked wide-eyed at Cho who just shrugged, "I know he would like it." Jane just shook his head and replied to Cho. "I haven't drank this in a while. Thanks Cho." Cho gave a slight nod and smiled. Finally Lisbon handed him a box and Jane opened it curiously. One looked at the present and he laughed heartily. Lisbon expected this and laughed in return. The other three looked confused. "What is it?" Rigsby asked Jane.

"Casual wear. Jeans and t-shirt to be precise." He replied amusingly.

The whole table erupted in laughter. Jane never wore anything else except three-piece suits and his scruffy brown shoes. He had pajamas, but the team didn't need to know that for now. He looked at Lisbon. "I can't believe this!" He laughed again.

Van Pelt said jokingly, "Wear it Jane. We all are wearing the same. Only you are in your suit."

Jane was close to denying but Lisbon and Rigsby chorused "Yeah!" while Cho said "Definitely!"

He got up and went to the bathroom and changed. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled approvingly. He was smiling a lot after being here. The people down there, his family, were responsible for that. But for this particular gift, the tiny pocket-rocket was all to blame. The sky blue t-shirt made his eyes appear blue than his usual sea green. And the navy blue jeans were perfect, he didn't even have to wear a belt. Lisbon definitely had good taste. He went back to the living room with a slight blush on his cheeks.

When he entered, Rigsby and Cho let out a whistle and high-fived while Van Pelt and Lisbon just stared at him. The guys saw the girls staring at him and cleared their throats. Jane was still blushing. Van Pelt finally talked. "You look… you look… wow!" Rigsby suddenly felt possessive and held her hand underneath the table. Van Pelt looked at him with narrowed eyes and whispered, "Wayne!"

Lisbon still couldn't form any words. She managed, "You clean up nice Jane" although her breath had hitched. Jane chuckled and nodded, "You have a great choice Lisbon." Their eyes met for a moment and Lisbon's heart hammered in her chest. Maybe if the team wasn't here, that damn t-shirt and jeans would be on the floor by now with both of them on the couch. Her cheeks reddened at that thought. Jane figured out what she was thinking and gave a devilish grin in return. He added after a moment, "Thank you so much you guys. This is one of the best birthdays I have ever had. Now let's eat, shall we?"

Rigsby dug in the food first, as usual. There was chinese, mexican and ofcourse, pizza. Everyone ate until they were stuffed to the gills. After the food was finished, Lisbon went to the kitchen to grab the ice cream carton. Jane followed her. She was digging out the spoons from the cabinet when he whispered in her ear, "So how does it feel after fulfilling a fantasy?"

She almost jumped but looked back at him. "Hush! We'll talk about this later." She turned around and added, "You think this is the only present I'm giving you?" Her tone was playful and a bit seductive.

Jane's eyes darkened. "I look forward to it."

They returned to the table and the team chatted while enjoying the chocolate ice cream. The topics switched from baseball, movies to finally Jane's stunt in their latest case. It was past one-thirty am but none of them cared. This felt so refreshing for all of them. Jane managed to gather the details about this plan arranged by Lisbon and how efficiently everyone hid it from Jane, especially Rigsby. The team left a little after two am and Jane stayed back under the pretense of cleaning up. The team hugged Jane and said their goodbyes.

After closing the door Lisbon went to clean the table but Jane pulled her back and held her tightly in his arms. She stiffened at first in surprise but relaxed in a second. He sighed in her hair and whispered. "Thank you, Teresa. This was wonderful."

She nodded against his chest. "I'm glad you liked it Jane."

He could feel her smile against his chest. "Liked? I loved it."

She squeezed him in response. They stood like this for a while, comfortable in each other's arms. None of them wanted to move. After what seemed like eternity, Lisbon pulled back from the hug and looked at him. "About the other present…"

"Yeah?" Jane asked playfully.

She whacked him at his chest and he winced, "Ow! You know we are little old for birthday bombs, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Wait here." She demanded and went to her bedroom. She returned a minute later with a small box and gave it to him. He smiled at her and opened it. The box had silver chain cufflinks. Both heads had an engraving of 'J' and Jane could tell they would go on any suit he owned. Once again she proved she had great taste.

She told him shyly, "I didn't know what else to give you. You certainly don't buy more things for yourself so I thought you could use these any time you'd want to." Lisbon felt a bit insecure. For a guy who gifted her a pony on her birthday, this was nothing when compared. That pony was currently in Iowa at Van Pelt's parents' farm.

He shook his head, "This is perfect, Teresa. Thank you." He hugged her again.

They stood like this again for a while. Jane breathed in her cinnamon scent while Lisbon enjoyed being in Jane's arms, which were quite toned for someone napping on the couch for the whole day. They pulled back and Lisbon dropped a feather-light kiss on Jane's cheek. "You're welcome."

Jane took a sharp breath, his pulse quickened. Lisbon was about to remove herself from his arms when he pulled her back and held her in front of him, his hands on her waist. Her breath hitched and she just kept looking at him, her hands on his shoulders. He kept looking at her lovingly while tucking a strand of hair behind her right ear. She felt goosebumps on her skin at his touch. Neither of them said a word, but their eyes spoke in volumes. Jane never removed his hand from her cheek. He slowly leaned towards her and her lips opened in anticipation.

The first touch of his lips on hers was soft. He pulled back and looked at her questioningly. She gave him a small smile and that was all the answer he needed. He kissed her again, this time with more intensity and she responded eagerly. He held her impossibly close by her waist and her hands moved at the nape of his neck, playing with his hair. He sighed and she took the chance of entering her tongue in his mouth and exploring him. He groaned and continued to kiss her fiercely. He moved a hand in her hair and held her at the back of her head, deepening the kiss even more than before. Lisbon hummed in approval and moved her fingers in his soft curls. She finally got to feel his hair after all this time. They kept kissing in the middle of the living room till the need for air tore them apart. Both of them took deep breaths with Jane's forehead placed on Lisbon's.

He stated huskily, "Now that… was the best present."

Lisbon chuckled. She knew it was wrong to go for more. But she was so tempted. And judging by the look in his eyes, he was too. She responded with a trace of seductiveness, "You think that's all?"

His eyes darkened. He knew the implications of what they were about to do. But somewhere deep inside, he knew he loved her. She had become a priority for him. He didn't know when that happened. Even Lisbon felt the same for him.

He replied hoarsely, "Then let's not waste any more time. Shall we?"

Lisbon knew this was a loaded statement. She didn't want to waste any more time either. She knew both of them were tired of living by the rules of a serial killer. She took his hand and led him to her bedroom. Once they reached in there, all control was lost. Bodies were explored. Barriers were broken, physically and mentally. They made love for the rest of the night.

They woke up in each other's arms with contented smiles on their faces. Jane kissed Lisbon and whispered, "You're beautiful, Teresa."

She moved her fingers in his soft curls and he sighed happily. "You're not too bad yourself." That was an understatement. He was the sexiest man she had even seen in her entire life. But she was not about to admit it to him. A moment later she kissed him again and added, "Happy Birthday Patrick."

Her use of his first name sent a shiver through his body. He held her close and whispered in her ear before nibbling it. "You're never calling me Jane ever again outside work."

She laughed and kissed him in return. "Okay, _Patrick._ "

He kissed her back hungrily. After making love again, Jane decided for both of them to not to leave the bed until evening. Lisbon agreed to it with an eye roll.

They spent the morning and afternoon cuddling on the bed. Teresa dozed off in his arms and Jane took a moment to bask in all the happiness she gave him. He had a chance to love again, to be happy again. He finally lived his dream of waking up besides the amazing Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon. He promised himself that he would never hurt her. They would catch Red John together and then he would build a life with this woman. His wedding band shone in the afternoon sun peeking from the window. But instead of feeling any guilt he felt hope. Someday there would be a ring in Teresa's finger of his name. Jane looked down at Lisbon and smiled. She was snoring softly with her head on his chest. He was so lucky to have her in his life. And this time, he wouldn't ruin it in any case. He sighed happily, squeezed her in his arms and whispered. "Best birthday ever. Thank you, Teresa. I love you."

Instinctively, Lisbon held him close. He smiled softly and drifted off to sleep. They were happy, _finally._

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 **Please review. They motivate me to write more :)**


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